Steam thawing apparatus



Jam. .23, E923.

P- A. WEIGERT. STEAM THAwlNG APPARATUS.

FILED JAN. 24, 1922.

, Lerel Lim.

Patented Jan.

,n iran e 'BATES PATENT OFFICE.`

PETER 'ALBERT WEIGEET, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, assiGNon Yro WEs'rERN MARYLAND EALLWAY COMPANY, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A ooEPoRiin TION' kOIE' MARYLAND.

STEAIVI THAWNG APPARATUS.

Application `filed January 24, 1922. Serial Nm 531,458?.

To all whom/t may concern.'

Be it known that l, l). A. YVincnn'r, a citizen of the `United States, residing at No. 1701 Patterson Park Avenue,in the city 'of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented `a new and useful Improvement in Steam 'lhawing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

`Theobject of `this invention is to provide an eflicient apparatus for thawing frozen material such as is often found in freight cars,-coal, ore, earth, gravel, eter-by the A,direct application of steam to the car or other vehicle so that the material may be unloaded through drop doors at the bottom, yor from the topby `the use of a mechanical car dumper, or otherwise. The object of the invention is, further, to provide at relatively small expense a relatively more eli'icient apparatus than has lieretoforebeeiiused for such thawing purposes, and to provide an apparatuswhich does not require the construction of a special or permanent building or track layout, although it may be used in used at any point on a railroad track or other roadway and can be used without being housed within a lbuilding or other permanent structure. k t

By a. direct application of steam simultaneously at'a number of points at the bottom, sides and top of the car an intense heat envelope is created which has the eli'ect ot changing the `condition of the material Within the car :in a very short time from a frozen mass to a condition in which it can be handled effectively and discharged in the same manner as material which. contains little orV no frost. In actual practice the application of steam by means of this appai'atus has thawed material frozen `to a thickness of from six iiichesto one foot from the outside edges of the car in two to tive mim utes. (,)rdinarily such thawing of the surfaces ol the u'iaterial is suflicient to permit :it to be freely discharged from the vehicle as it is but necessary to release the surface material to effect acomplete discharge of the lading. gravity and the weight of the material itself ordinarily being sufficient to break lit up intosufiiciently small chunks, masses `or particles, if it he frozen to `a greater depth from the surface, so that the wlioleload `is released. This Veffects asev-` connection therewith, but can be set up and 4 ing-offrom one to five hours in unloading time for each car. Due to its `simplicity vand low cost of construction and erection it is superior to the thawing khouse method, -1

where arbuilding` say, 400 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 25 feet high .must be constructed,

vordinarily involving a special traclt layout,

atan excessive'y cost which includes elaborate piping features, expensive steam plant and other machinery necessary/to its operation. The thawingl apparatus herein described can be taken down at .smallfexpense and stored when not needed, and replaced `in a fewliours. It may be put into use most'. effectively at a point yor points within reach f of any constant source of steam supply, such for` instance, as a 4steam lplant which is often constructed in connectionwithvthe opera-kv tion ofmacliinery ata modern coal pier, al-

tothe use of the apparatus atvarious temy poi-ary or permanent locations. The amount of pressure ,required for operating it varies with its size. The particular unit which is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings may be `effectively used with,` asteam pressure of from 50to 200 pounds.` i i I yattain the above mentioned objects by a mechanism which comprises a set, sets or series of pipesV or yconduits lthrough which the steamv is conducted and 'projected against the lbottom sides oir/and top of `acar or cars, simultaneously so as to envelop the entire surface of `the vehicle and its lading, or loc-allyfso that parts ywhich may be more frozen than `others may be thawed without wasting steam `hy vunnecessarily expelling steam coincidentally freni the `whole apparatus. l/Yith these pipes or conduitsithere may `be useda movable top, and a 'windshield for enclosing the side, sides. end or ends of a car or cars. f f y This meclianisniis illustrated bythe ac.n con'ipanying drawing in whicliFigure l is a ground plan, Figure II isa vertical or longitudinal cross` sectionf Ae-B; Figure lllis an end elevation,fl7igu re repre-r sents a ,iet or nozzle which may be used for lcoucentrating and directing the. steam against a car when yit is projectedV from va f which branches 5 carry the steam to upright pipes 6 from which it is projected through an opening or openings 7 which may be one or more in number in each pipe, against the lsides of the car 19. In feed line 4*"there are openings 8 from which the steam may be projected against the bottom of a car ory cars These openings may be at the points indicated on'the drawings or at other convenient points in the feed pipe 4. In branch pipes 5 there are openings 9 through which the steam may also be projected `against the 'bottom of a car. These openings 9 may be at other points on branch pipes 5 than those indicated on the drawings. these'openings 7, 8 and 9 may be fitted with nozzles, nipples or jets 13,121-, such as are illustrated in Figure IV, in order t0 concentrate the steam and fo-rce it moredirectly `against the car and its lading. By means of valves 12 in the feed pipe 4 the steam may be excluded from one or more sections or units of the system if desirable, when, for instance, a car shorter than the average is being thawed, or the steam is being applied to single car instead of two or more cars. Thebranch' lines '5 may slope toward feed Vvline 4 which may be lower at one end than at the other. lAt the lower end of the feed pipe 4 there is an automatic drain 1l Awhich when the apparatus is not in operation and the steam pressure is cut off, automatically drains the system of any condensed steam `which may accumulate. Freezing and unnecessary rust is thereby avoided.

' At openings 9 yin branch lines 5. and openings-8 in feed line 4, there may be adjustable nipples, nozzles yor jets, by which the steam may be conducted closer t0v thebottom of the car before being projected against it, inorder to'give it the maximum effectiveness.

lip-right pipes 6 maybe lowered from their erect position when lnot in use without disconnection, as shown by position 14- in FigureV II. The* steam may be thus concent'rated against some particularly"diflicult` ards 16 and catches, retains and deflectsy against the top of the car or material 20 therein, the steam which arises from the bottom and sides of the car--from openings 7, 8 and;V in feed line 4 and branch pipes If desirable,

:3 Iand erect pipes 6. This top may be made portable so that it can be removed and stored when not needed. In the particular illustration in the drawings, the top is shown to be constructed so that it can be raised by means of cables 22. pulleys 23 and counterweights 24.

The windshield 17 may be attached to the standards 16 which support the top, or special standards 18. It may be made in units and may be made portable in whole or in part and may be used at either one 0r both sides or ends of the car as weather conditions demand. It may be made of any suitable materia-l, such as canvas, for instance, to be rolled on poles or uprights; or of sheet metal or boards.

If it is desired to make the top and windshield portable the standards 16 and/or 18 may be made to rest in and be supported preferably by a sleeve 25 embedded in a stationary form 26.

The top 15 and the windshield 17 make the use of the apparatus very'much more economical and eective, although it may be used effectively without either.

Figure II gives a view lof the features above described from a vertical, longitudinal Cross section. n

Figure III gives an end view of same features.

'.lhe drawings merely show one unit of the apparatus, but it may consist of several units and each unit may consist of a greater or less number of pipes or comluits than are shown inthe drawings.

By thus using steam for thawing frozen material in cars there is eliminated the dust, soot and gases whichare coincident to the Athe useof hot air for thawing purposes, in

the old thawing house method. Scot and dust do not'accumulate upon the tracks and the car can more readily he released by gravit)Y after the thawing operation is courv pleted. lThe car is not subjected to gases.

soot and dust, and is subject to heat for a much shorter period of time; there is, therefore, much less wear and depreciation on the car. The paint is less damaged. rusting less violent, and danger of frame-liurldiiur less present.

' The use of this apparatus. (li-ing away. as it does, with the necessitv o'v :i permai'ient building. likewise dispenses with the expense attached thereto. For instance. the heavy lighting expenses made ne meet the legal. requirements for the safety of men working in thawing buildings, are eliminated. Moreover. a track which has been used in connection with this apparatus i may be restored to normal use Vith safe clearance when the thawing aplniratus is reA moved or when the upright pipes are lowered to track level. A single car can be subjected to special thawing treatment theleas'tfrozen car as loin.; `one most `frozen, as in the case when the oldy either more or less intense`r audit is vnot necessary toretain subject'tothe same thawing process,A a whole line of' carswhichinay belirozen totlillerent logre r andthus `thaw thawinghouse method was used. Moreover7 the erection ot this apparatus need not irteriere" with theyk location `or operation' ot switches and it' located-with that end in yview may be j used incidentally 'to keep a switch ytree from an accumulation ot ice.

` Although l have shown certain olf' my im proveniente in considerable detail., l do not -limit myseltto the exactparticulars oit the consti'uction`r arrangement or sections, shown `and 'described 'but may use such substitutions;"modifications, or equivalents thereof as are embracedwithin the scope ot inyvin# vention 'andas pointed out in the claims.

y Having thus described ,myinvention, l,` "therefore, claim:

l. In a thawing apparatus a combination oic a steam supply main or mains and a series oit' branohpipes arranged at suitable intervals along` the bed and sides of a railroad track or other roadway-said pipes having perforations located at points suitable for the projection of steam as desired against the surfaces oi a Vvehicle adapted to pass over the track.

2. In an yapparatus 'for thawing; material in cars-or other vehicles5 acoinbination con sistinp; of pipes or conduits and a combina` tion ot sets yor series ot such pipes or conduits through which live steamsuperheated or otherwise may be conducted, projected or released from openings therein simultaneously against the whole surface, including the sides, bottom or top ot a oar or cars,`

and the material therein, or locally against some part or portion thereof.

3. In a thawing apparatus avcombination el' a steam supply main or mains and a series oit branch pipes arranged at suitable intervals' alongthe bed and sides ot a railroad track ory other roadwajf'esaid pipes having per'torations located at points suitable t'or the projection of steam as desired against the surfaces ot a vehicle adapted to j track or other roadway-said pipes having pertorations located at points -suitable for the projection ot steam as desired against a time as the thesuril'aces of a vehicle adapted to pass over the trackgthe said series oi pipes beingg,` so

yarranged that any condensed steam which may accumulate in the apparatus will be ft'reedfthrough an. automatic drain oi' drains at thclower ei'idyor'other lowfpoint7 oit the saidl steam lsupply main or mains, which `r-rs nild allow such condensed 'steam to pass lofi", which lautoniatic drain by means of a steam' valve* would allow 'such condensed steam topass oli' when the steam pressure lreiiroved and the apparatus is not inoperation. i v

j 5. In asteam thawing apparatus for the `thawing` ot bulk material in carsa combination ot' aset, sets or series oit pipesoi conduitswith openings therein through which steainmay be projected against the surfaces "and yjets or nozzles attached to some or to 'all "ot the openings to project the steam more forcefully and "directly against `such j surfaces,` or to concentrate or direct it more et-A iectively against certain local parts of the vehicle or its lading.

G. ln a steam thawing` apparatus 'for the thawing of bulk material in cars or by the direct application oi live steam aga-inst the bottom, sides and top ot a car or cars and the lading' therein, a combination .of pipes or a set or series ot pipes or conduits with openings therein `through which the steam may be projected, and a movable or adjustable top which may be placed above the car te catch and deiiect the steam against the top ot the car and its lading,` as it rises from the sides and bottom thereof.

7. ln a steam thawing' apparatus 'for the thawing of bulk material in` cars by the directl application of' steam simultaneously against all the surfaces oi' a car andits ladinror against part onlythcreot', a coinbination ot a set, sets or series ot pipes or conduits with openings j therein throughA which the steam may be projected; and jets7 nozzles or nipples attached to such pipes or some orall ot such openings therein to concentrate the steam or projectit more torcefully or directly against the said surfaces, Sonie of which jets may be adjustable or movable to enable the steam to be more effect-iif'elvv directed against the car;` and a injovable or adjustablev top to catch and deflect the siieaui or material therein as it rises from the sides `and bottom of the car or vehicle; and a 'windshield or windshields whi lil/ina)7 be made in units and may be either portable or stationary to detlectthe wind away from ther sides, sida end or ends of the vehicle in. orderto prei/'ent any appreciable dissipation ot `the steam and to allow it more effectively to envelop the car.

thawingrot bulk material 4-in cars by the direct application of live steam against the ainst the'top'oi" the carv 8. ln a steam thawing apparatus ior thesurfaces ol? a car, a combination of a set or sets of pipes or conduits including a feed pipe or pipes and branches therefrom, with an automatic drain at the lower end of the feed pipe, and .with openings therein Vthrough which the steam. may be` projected -from the :feed pipe and branches directly against the bottom of a car, to Which feed pipe and branches maybe attached at such openings adjustable height or stationary vnipples or nozzles to direct the steam -intervals along the bed and sides of a railroad track or other roadways-said pipes having perforations located at points suitable for the lprojection' olf steam as desired against the surfaces ot' a vehicle adapted to pass over the track; with a Wind shield or Windshields which maybe made either portable or stationary, to deflect the wind from the side, sides, end or ends ot' the vehicle.

l0. In a thawing apparatus a combination' of a steam supply main or mainsl and a series of branch pipesarranged at suitable intervals along the bed and Sides of a railroad track or other roadway-said pipes having perfor-ations located at points suitable for the projection of steam as desired e against the surfaces of a vehicle adapted to pass over the track. Said appara-tus may be either permanently located or temporarily erected at a particular point.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aIHiX my signature.

PETER ALBERT WEIGERT; 

